Crooks Advertising Alliance

01/07/2026

A new article I wrote describing a fundamental mistake of Trade Show Door Prizes.

Question. Do you believe prospects will be more likely to buy from you if you make them feel like a loser?

No?

Then why do so many marketers do just that?

Sometimes, people accomplish great feats. They stand back and congratulate themselves on a job well done and are proud.

04/24/2022

"We're Sorry. You're Not A Winner."

04/05/2021

My daughter complained that when it rained, her backpack got wet because her 38" umbrella didn't cover enough.

Introducing the 68" C.Y.A. (Cover Your Assets) Umbrella from Crooks Advertising Alliance! Now, she can cover herself, another person AND her backpack with this 68" vented umbrella.

If an umbrella makes sense for your promotional marketing program, make sure it covers EVERYTHING! Inquire about the C.Y.A. umbrella today. [email protected]

01/07/2021

A Marketing Message To Financial Planners and Insurance Folk:

If the only communication I get from you is a birthday card, then the card simply calls attention to the fact that I NEVER HEAR FROM YOU!

If you make me feel like the small account I am … I will never become a bigger account … at least not your account.

If you really don't want my business … fine. But if you really do want my business … then genuinely treat me like I matter.

01/06/2021

Chicken Sandwich wars heat up in 2021. will launch its new Crispy Chicken sandwich on Feb. 24.

The lightly battered all-white chicken fillet will be served simply, with crinkle-cut pickles on a newly introduced toasted, buttered potato roll. However, customers can also order it in a spicy version that includes pepper sauce, or as a deluxe sandwich that includes shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes and mayo.

What's your feeling on the pickles? Does a chicken sandwich REALLY need pickles?

12/15/2020

Shotgun Thinking:
More Precise Than You May Think

Sometimes, finding the solution to a business or marketing problem requires a little imagination. And when we allow our mind to spread out, we can discover what I call the “obscure obvious” — that which is right in front of us — but obscured by the status quo.

For instance, I’ve used a 12 guage shotgun loaded with 00-buck to dispatch a dead tree limb I couldn’t reach with a ladder. I asked, “What can I send up there?” The answer came when I recognized a shotgun as something that delivers from a distance and 00 Buckshot as a cutting medium — as opposed to the status quo view of a weapon and shell.

Shotgun thinking allows your thoughts to spread out … to consider options previously out of bounds, unthinkable or even taboo. Sometimes reaching your audience (tree branch) is a matter of rethinking your approach (shotgun vs ladder). And often, that puts precisely the right solution within your reach.

Need help? We have a tremendous amount of creative firepower to bring to bear on your behalf.

[email protected]

12/10/2020

From The Files of: Hurts Don't It?

There's been a lot of focus on the negative effects of Covid on the restaurant industry and the related ripple effect. Meanwhile, the $24 billion dollar a year Promotional Marketing industry has been largely overlooked.

The promotional products industry consists of 40,546 companies and 489,065 industry jobs. The cancellation of trade shows, festivals, conferences, fairs, concerts and other large gatherings has literally brought the industry to a standstill. Even my European colleagues have lost 80% or more of their businesses and let their employees go.

To business owners I say, eventually, trade shows, conferences, festivals, fairs, concerts and other large social events will return. Will you be ready? Or will you scramble?

Now is a great time to plan ahead. And believe me, there are PLENTY of qualified, promotional marketing professionals that have time - right now - to help you plan creative, effective promotions for 2021.

12/07/2020

What Makes THIS Free Consultation Different.

Crooks Advertising offers free . That’s the only way I can determine if I can help you. Call or email. Tell me what you have in mind. What makes THIS free consultation different? More than likely, you'll leave the conversation with an insight, idea or solution. No obligation.

I also offer free forms review. I’ll review your sales letters, forms and ads. If I can help you improve them, I’ll give you an idea of how I’d do that.

Sometimes, my clients know what they want to say, but just don’t know how to say it. Other clients know where they want to go, they just don’t know how to get there.

Most often, I can help.

To get started, we need to talk. Contact me today for a free, no obligation consultation. Do so, and I'll email you my eBook: ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways, for free. In it, I sacrifice the sacred-cow beliefs that have fueled decades of mediocre trade show results.

It's a good read. I wrote it ... and I STILL read it. :)

And that's what makes THIS free consultation different. I'm willing to share. :) I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
Michael
517-589-0008
[email protected]

12/02/2020

The biggest difference between what comes out of Madison Avenue and Crooks Advertising Alliance isn't so much the ideas, as the cost of ex*****on. The big city agencies get bigger budgets. But all the money in the world won't make a crummy idea a great idea. All the money does, is give a crummy idea a great showcase.

Crooks Advertising: Driving The Creative Juggernaut Through The Gauntlet of The Status Quo.

[email protected]
517-589-0008

12/02/2020

It's here! The TieMask video. The hottest, new corporate gift for times.

WOW, what a great mask and tie combo. Wear it like a tie, tie it like a tie and then when you need a mask just flip up the bottom and be protected. This is...